The last time we ranked the city’s best new burgers, back in 2012, we were caught up in an artisanal fervour. Nowadays, it ain’t no thing to bake a bun on-premise, butcher and dry-age meat for a signature-blend patty, and make super-duper-secret special sauce in-house. So, with all due respect to our former champions, we let a new pack of craft burger makers (who take inspiration from bucolic Ontario farms, Vietnamese market stalls, and just about everywhere in between) duke it out for supremacy. Let the burger wars begin.

(Image: Vicky Lam)

#1. Bar Buca’s Bombolone Burger

Rob Gentile mixes lean ground beef with a hit of porky lardo and cooks it to rare. The result is an exceptionally juicy patty that’s then layered with soft, tangy semi-dried tomatoes and rosemary-tinged zabaglione, and sandwiched in an oven-steamed bombolone bun made from the bar’s signature doughnut dough. $14. 75 Portland St., 416-599-2822.

(Image: Vicky Lam)

#2. Richmond Station’s STN Burger

Carl Heinrich butchers a full cow every two weeks, and grinds a mix of chuck, brisket, sirloin and round for his burger, then stuffs it with braised neck and short rib. The patty is layered with aged cheddar, sharp pickled onion, sweet beet chutney and garlicky aïoli. $21. 1 Richmond St. W., 647-748-1444.

#4. Patois’ Chinese Pineapple Bun Burger

Craig Wong uses a Chinese pineapple bun (named for the crunchy cross-hatched top half made with a sugar cookie dough) to add a hint of sweetness to the savoury, drippy double patty oozing with oyster sauce mayo and a kitschy sprinkle of hickory sticks. $15.50. 794 Dundas St. W., 647-350-8999.

#7. OddSeoul’s The Loosey

The Han brothers have made a name for themselves as the kings of crave-worthy Korean-American snacks. The Loosey is a roasted kimchee–stuffed short rib and brisket patty sandwiched between two slices of buttery challah, topped with pickles, fried onions and kimchee hollandaise. $5. 90 Ossington Ave., no phone.

(Image: Vicky Lam)

#8. P&L Burger’s The P&L Burger

The burger at Matty Matheson’s Parts and Labour in Parkdale was such a hit that he decided to open a dedicated patty shack a few miles east. Our favourite is the namesake: Ontario ground chuck layered with cheddar cheese, dill pickle mayo, bacon-onion jam and iceberg lettuce. $10. 507 Queen St. W., 416-603-9919.

(Image: Vicky Lam)

#9. The Federal’s Four Guys Burger

The Fed’s kicked-up take on a fast food burger is built with a griddle-smashed patty of chuck and brisket slathered with gherkin-mustard-ketchup sauce, crispy bacon, caramelized onions and melted American cheese, all on a fluffy milk bun from Blackbird. $14. 1438 Dundas St. W., 647-352-9120.

#13. Woody’s The Tokyo Burger

The campfire char on the meaty burgers at Woody’s comes from a hardwood-burning grill. The beefy base is the starting point for a menu full of options, but we love the Tokyo, with pickled ginger, fried onions and wasabi mayo. $6.95. 3795 Lake Shore Blvd. W., 416-546-2093.

#19. The Saint’s Saint Cheeseburger

Jesse Vallins grinds chuck and brisket from McGee Farms only once for a steak-like texture, seasons with salt and pepper, then layers on house-made American cheese, dill relish and more beefy flavour with aïoli made from rendered bone marrow. $19. 227 Ossington Ave., 647-350-2100.

#22. The County General Riverside’s The County Burger

Brisket, chuck and dry-aged trim are simply seasoned with pepper, then griddled and smeared with creamy remoulade and dijon mustard, heaped with spicy dill pickles, and stuffed in a poppy- and sesame-seed sprinkled milk bun from Thuet. $15. 798 Queen St. E., 416-781-4743.

(Image: Vicky Lam)

#23. Dac Biet’s Pho Burger

An unlikely pairing of pho fixings (sautéed bean sprouts, fresh basil and lime) and a fresh-ground patty dolloped with hoisin and Sriracha makes for the ultimate Vietnamese-American comfort food. There’s even a side of pho “jus” for dipping. $6.50. 213 Church St., 416-703-8878.